Starting up a business can be hard work and time consuming, but once it is up and running it can be extremely rewarding, however the hard work doesn't stop there. Juggling paperwork, deadlines and your business finances can prove difficult, but it is important to get control over these things before they control you, so that you can concentrate on optimising your business growth.

With 99.9% of businesses in the UK being classed as a Small to Medium Sized Enterprise (SME), contributing almost 60% to private sector employment and 49% of private sector turnover the fact that they are considered the lifeblood of the economy is an understatement. Yet many of these businesses suffer from late payments, with recent research from Bacs Payments Ltd suggesting that the average SME has to wait up to 8 weeks beyond due date.